The Sixers had a chance to steal a road win over the Magic, but Paul George fouled out and they couldn’t keep Orlando off the glass in another brutal loss.
Sixers Bell Ringer Season standings:
Jared McCain – 8
Joel Embiid – 7
Tyrese Maxey – 6.5
Paul George – 4.5
Guerschon Yabusele – 3
Kelly Oubre Jr – 2
Ricky Council IV – 2
KJ Martin – 2
It’s getting very late early.
The Sixers let another late lead slip away as they fell to the Orlando Magic 104-99 Sunday night.
The injury situation got even worse as Caleb Martin (right groin tightness) joined Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, Kyle Lowry and KJ Martin on the injury report. Embiid has now missed four straight games with a sprained left foot.
If you like offense, this was not the game for you. Both teams were sloppy from the start, with the Sixers committing a bunch of turnovers to help the Magic’s fledgling offense. It was 24-21 Orlando after one.
Tyrese Maxey helped get the Sixers going a bit in the second, scoring 12 of the team’s 27 points in the quarter. The deficit was only 49-48 at the half largely because of Maxey.
Much like he did Friday, Paul George got going in the second half. PG dropped 11 and helped lead a bench unit on a nice run. The Sixers took their biggest lead at nine on a George three with 1:32 left. Unfortunately, they allowed the Magic to close the period on a 7-2 run, making it a 77-73 game.
It was a bit of a slog to start the fourth but it was George again who made a pair of big threes. Almost immediately after nailing the second trey which gave the Sixers a 94-91 lead, George was whistled for sixth foul with 2:49 remaining. Maxey couldn’t carry the offense alone and the shorthanded and small Sixers got destroyed on the glass late.
The Sixers are now 15-22, still sitting outside of the play-in picture, with a brutal stretch in the schedule coming up. For now, let’s talk Bell Ringer.
Paul George: 25 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
Another night where George had arguably his best performance of the season marred by the ending.
PG was good for most of the night. He was efficient (10-of-20 from the field, 5-of-8 from deep) and created plays for others. He just seemed to be in control, especially in the second half. He even snagged 10 boards on a night the team desperately needed the help on the glass.
But the fouling situation is bizarre. George has struggled to stay out of foul trouble and has already fouled out of two games this season. This game was sort of reminiscent of the Sacramento loss. In both contests PG was awesome through three quarters. Against the Kings, he struggled late. Against the Magic, he fouled out. In both instances, they needed him to step up without Embiid.
The good news is this is the second straight game where George has looked in rhythm. The bad news is the Sixers lost both games.
Tyrese Maxey: 29 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals
Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images
It was a funky game for Maxey, but he’s the only other worthy candidate.
Maxey dropped a game-high 22 points in the first half but scored only seven points after halftime. He did have an issue with his left hand after a collision with Anthony Black early on. He was trying to shake it out seemingly all game.
By the end of the night — with no PG on the floor — the Sixers’ offense was basically Maxey isos. It didn’t work out. It’s difficult to run offensive sets when guys like veteran Eric Gordon and rookie Justin Edwards, who have barely played with Maxey this season, are forced into the mix. It’s especially difficult in closing out tight games.
Could Maxey have been better? Absolutely. He had six turnovers and shot just 7-of-19 on the night. But the Sixers have serious personnel issues — even beyond the injured players.